After cropping Michelle Obama's "cute" comment, MSNBC's Gregory baselessly asserted: "She was talking about Governor Palin"
SUMMARY: On Race for the White House, David Gregory aired a clip of Michelle Obama saying, "People shouldn't make a decision this time based on, 'I like that guy.' Or, you know, 'She's cute.' " Afterward, Gregory baselessly asserted, "She was talking about Governor Palin." At no point during the segment did Gregory note that Obama followed that comment by saying, "I'm talking about me."
On the September 19 edition of MSNBC's Race for the White House, host David Gregory aired a clip of Michelle Obama saying, "We may decide to do something that is different from Barack Obama, but we should decide that based on our self-interests and what we think is best." After a break in the video, Obama continued: "People shouldn't make a decision this time based on, 'I like that guy.' Or, you know, 'She's cute.' " Gregory then asked Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to Sen. Barack Obama, "She talking about [Gov. Sarah] Palin there?" Jarrett replied, "I think she was talking about herself, Michelle being cute." Gregory responded by baselessly asserting: "Oh, come on. Come on. She was talking about Governor Palin." At no point during the segment did Gregory air Obama saying "I'm talking about me" after her "cute" comment, or note that she had said it.
The Associated Press reported that Obama "did not talk about Palin directly in her remarks."
From the September 19 edition of MSNBC's Race for the White House:
GREGORY: Here is your friend Michelle Obama talking about what matters in this race. Watch.
OBAMA [video clip]: We may decide to do something that is different from Barack Obama, but we should decide that based on our self-interests and what we think is best. [break] People shouldn't make a decision this time based on, "I like that guy." Or, you know, "She's cute."
GREGORY: She talking about Palin there?
JARRETT: I think she was talking about herself, Michelle being cute.
GREGORY: Oh, come on. Come on. She was talking about Governor Palin.
JARRETT: No, no, I don't think so. But, you know, listen. I think Michelle's point is a good one. The stakes are so high in this election.
We have our planet is in peril, we've been at war, we have now a domestic crisis, we have an economic crisis. We really encourage the American people to do what they're doing, which is to get engaged and really look at the issues and how the candidates match up and who has the leadership qualities, the temperament, the stability, the foresight, the judgment, and all the qualities that are required to lead our country at this unique moment in history. That was Michelle's message.
GREGORY: All right. We'll leave it there. Valerie Jarrett, always great to have you.
Your mindreading skills are impressive. Too bad they're not much better than your English-reading skills.
I think you mean English writing skills, yes I should have said "hole" not "whole". I was watching my son talk about a "whole "piece of bread he wanted to eat.
It is not mindreading skills, just my humble opinion. And I agree with Michelle Obama if she was talking about Palin, we should not vote for someone because they are cute. That is also the reason I support Obama, I can not support McCain who did not pick a VP based on being qualified. Biden is very qualified, I think most of us would agree much more qualified than Governor Palin.
No, I meant reading skills. I told you you didn't have good ones.
You are unable to understand almost anything you read here. I can now add my previous post to the list of things that careen over your head, out of your reach.
Well that is your opinion.
Reading comprehension and reasoning skills too.
Michelle Obama meant to be talking about herself the whole time. THAT's why when she realized that her comment could be taken incorrectly, and people could think she was talking about Palin, she clarified her comment to clearly say that she was talking about herself. She was talking about people making decisions about who will be their elected officials on personality, not on substance. Sometimes that decision can be influenced by feelings about the candidate's spouse - we've seen that with Hillary and Bill, and others too.
She was talking about people not allowing themselves to be influenced by trivial things. She made a self-deprecating remark about herself - saying, don't let my appearance influence you either! It's as clear as day that's what she was talking about, and Bobthep, one of the least lucid posters here, thinks he can school us on the real meaning of what she meant - he's a mind-reader now, apparently.
Not!
Blondie
You are so out of touch! First, you tell outright lies. Then you make up stories. Finally, you attack people for making things up, and then you create an entire story. You claim she “knew all along” that people would misunderstand her. Can you support that fair tale? Do you have any proof? You are amazing. When one lie is not enough, you simply add more. You are pathetic.
There goes POV again, projecting his tactics and lack of debating skills upon one who outclasses him every time he posts.
You suprise me Easy
You normally hit and run. You give a quick one line insult and run and hide. Of course, even though you stayed this time, you have nothing to add. You make no points, and as always, add nothing to the discussion. It is easy to refute idiots!!
A lot of the time, POV, people have perhaps, a small window of time. They reply and then they go to work, or watch their kids, or take a shower. You know, all the things you don't do.
all you can do is slime, like McCain?
It is easy to refute idiots!
You're correct, it is. Which is why I usually don't have to make a second post to you.
It is easy to refute idiots!
You're correct, it is. Which is why I usually don't have to make a second post to you.
"Please express your opinion without insulting other posters." - Media Matters terms of use.
Eric
You seemed to have missed many insults and attacks on posters here all made by the left wing users. Any explanation as to why that might be, or do you only care to recite the terms of use when a conservative posts?
Good point POV, I guess it is ok to call people "dishonest punk" everytime there is a post that has a different view/ Can anyone say doublestandard?
Bob
Lol......of course there is a double standard here. Mr. Jaffa will never admit it, but is seems we only point out name calling here if it IS done by someone on the right, directed to someone on the left. Then we have to drag out the MMFA mission statment and the user agreement...lol. Blondie calls people names all the time, but to call her rude whould violate the code here.
To answer your question directly Bob....yes i can DOUBLESTANDARD!!
It would be wrong if I called someone a dishonest punk solely because they expressed a different view. It would be wrong if their different view had anything to do with my commenting that they're a dishonest punk.
But that has never happened, and won't happen. You, and others, get called a dishonest punk when you are being dishonest about facts, not opinions or views. You are called a dishonest punk when you not only are being dishonest, but being a punk too about discussing an issue.
As we often see, dishonest punks baselessly try to defend themselves from that accurate assessment by falsely claiming that the charge is only being made because there is a difference of opinion.
It's a lie. Guess what that means? You're continuing to be a dishonest punk!!! Not only are you a liar, but you're unfairly smearing me with that false charge, a charge that is easily debunked!
Can anyone say doublestandard?
You can't even phrase it correctly.
yours are not Conservative posts. They are Republican.
You are so out of touch!
Actually, I am quite connected to reality, unlike you - evidence to follow.
First, you tell outright lies.
I haven't lied. Michelle Obama was talking about herself. My evidence? She said she was talking about herself. I'm not trying to mindread. All I'm doing is listening to what she said, just like Media Matters did.
Then you make up stories.
I haven't made up a single story. I've explained stuff in more detail to morons like you. Giving explanations is not equivalent to making up stories!
Finally, you attack people for making things up,
Okay, this is a funny claim - supposedly I am bad for making things up, and you attack me, and now there's something wrong with me doing what you just did? What a hypocrite you are!
and then you create an entire story.
I didn't create any story. Michelle Obama said she was talking about herself. If she was talking about herself, then she was talking about not voting for a President who has a spouse you find appealing! She was talking about not having shallow reasons for voting for a candidate, and not allowing your opinion of the candidate's spouse to influence your opinion.
You claim she “knew all along” that people would misunderstand her.
I didn't claim that, liar. I did say that since she did realize that the comment she made about not voting for someone because "she's cute" could be interpreted to mean don't vote for a candidate simply because they're cute, she clarified that comment by saying that she wasn't talking about anyone else - she was talking about herself.
Can you support that fairy tale? Do you have any proof?
Ahhhhh, Michelle Obama said she was talking about herself. It makes sense that she was talking about herself as the spouse of a candidate. You are the one who has to twist themselves and her comments into pretzels in order to say that she isn't talking about herself right before she said she was talking about herself!
You are amazing. When one lie is not enough, you simply add more. You are pathetic.
Look in the mirror. I haven't lied or deceived or distorted anything. I've used what Michelle Obama herself said. Her very words. I haven't tried to mindread, and claim that she didn't really mean the words she said. That would be your bogus talking point. That's pathetic. But typical. Righties don't seem to be able to find real flaws with Democrats, so they have to event them by mindreading and projection. If Michelle were a rightie, she might could have said "I'm talking about me", and actually been lying through her teeth in an attempt to smear a liberal - that would be believeable, because it happens from your side of the aisle. But even if one did that, I wouldn't try to claim that I knew that was what she meant. I would still say that we had to accept her words at face value, and I wouldn't do the mindreading crap that you're doing. That's pathetic. You are pathetic.
Geez, I thought Tex was windy. Michelle is cute, but she was talking about Palin. No one votes is going to vote for John McCain because Cindy is cute or Barack because Michelle is cute.
People's opinions about Hillary were clearly influenced by their opinions of Bill, and vice versa. People's opinions of John Kennedy were clearly influenced by their feelings about his wife and his family and his lifestyle.
It's not just irrelevant feelings about the candidate that shouln't be used - opinions about the looks of Michelle Obama, a topic that has been covered just this week by Rush and O'Reilly, shouldn't count either.
Righties are showing their inherent hypocrisy by ignoring the current comments from rightie leaders like O'Reilly in saying that there isn't an attempt to make Michelle's looks a topic of discussion!!!!
She doesn't look angry. That's the way her face looks. It's the design of her mouth, something she can't control. No candidate should be judged upon things that candidate can't control. No person should be judged on that. It's because people have judged others on things those people can't control that we had to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act. Or the laws that stop restricting the rights and privileges of blacks in America - we had to do that because there were people who couldn't stop themselves from judging people based upon the amount of melanin in their skin - something that has nothing to do with their capabilities or their character.
And you want to tell us that there's no issue of how Michelle looks that needs to be addressed, and therefore there's no way she was talking about herself?
Ridiculous.
No one votes is going to vote for John McCain because Cindy is cute
You know, when you're right, you're right, even if your syntax is from the Bizarro Planet. Cindy isn't even in the same country as Cute, unless the country is Stepfordistan.
Spouses are an integral part of the family unit and do exercise a bedroom vote in the decision making process. An obvious example of this is Lynne Cheney. GW Bush was elected in 2000 and Mr Cheney vetted himself to be vice president, fully aware of the fact Mrs Cheney was a board member at the BoD at Lockheed, company that became the contractor and sole supplier. . Mr Clinton decided sometime in july 1999 to pass the decision of the Joint Strike fighter Win All contract to the next president, who not only turned out to be GW Bush, but also Mr Cheney immediately placed himself in the right position.. At that moment I realized Lockheed was going to get it simply because of the bedroom vote. The invisible real power of spouses.
Note to MSM:
Gore didn't claim to have invented the Internet.
Kerry didn't insult the troops.
Clarke didn't question McCain's service.
Barack Obama didn't flip off Hillary Clinton.
And Michelle Obama didn't call Palin cute.
These things...
Simply. Never. Happened.
Stop saying they did.
ttmy post was directed to bobtheP
My post in response to easy to bobtheP statement on "it's your opinion". I am lost. Better system, got to get used to it
so as of now, Palin is cute, woman, pretty, bull dog, pig, liar, hockey mom, soccer mom, expert on russia, expert on energy.
what else?
She is a dud too.
The obvious question is how can anyone but Michelle Obama know if Michelle Obama had Palin or anyone else in mind when she said this?
In addition, she began "people shouldn't make a decision this time based on, "I like that guy."" Should we conclude that this was also a comment about Sarah Palin?
Why is only the second half of her comment the topic of discussion, mindreading, projection and making sh*t up? Because when you consider the second half of the statement in the correct context, it doesn't sound controversial and so can't be the topic of half-baked analysis.
Couldn't agree more. Obama was talking about Palin. She does MORE damage for Obama than good. Why can't she just do her thing and stay out of Obama's politics?
It's your opinion.
It's also completely uninformed and based upon facts apparently pulled out of your ass.
so michelle obama should be quiet zamfir? Just like Cindy McCain ? Or is this your racism coming out again?
Zamfir, What do you mean by MORE damage? Seems like the Rarely Right Right gets their undies in a uproar everytime they BELIEVE that someone is attacking the Princess of The North. Maybe Mrs. Obama did say it to stir up you nitwits. But maybe she didn't. You really don't know do you. You may think it because it fits into what your leaders tell you. But don't worry, you will NEVER know for sure. And you better watch out because she once said the the BOOGIEMAN is out to get all Rarely Right Righties. Better sleep under the covers with a light on. Or crawl in with mom and dad.
Right, because you're one of the biggest Obama supporters we have. And you're kind enough to voice your "concern".
Thanks again.
What the HELL is this "we can't talk about Palin's whatever."????? Who sez? Who decided that Palin is off limits? She is a joke! She is tailor made for jokes and comments. She is a sit-com character. Tina Fey did not have to do ANYTHING to be funny. Now, everybody is walking around like she's the Pope's mistress. She is a person running for the second-to-top office in the land. What "commission" decided that she is sacred? Her whole life is ripe for comments. To say or imply that she is "cute" is ridiculous! CUTE? Ugh! I am a male who enjoys looking at attractive women and, believe ME, she ain't cute.
Michelle Obama's claim that she was talking about herself makes no sense.
Why would I, for example, tell people not to vote for me as Major Leagues MVP winner based solely on the fact that I hit many homeruns, if I'm not even a baseball player?
Think about it this way...her point is that people should focus on the issues instead of trivial concerns. This is true even if she was referring to Palin.
Focusing on candidates' spouses is also trivial.
While that was certainly Michelle's point and it's a valid one, Media Matter's main concern in this article is who Michelle was referring to.
It seems to be yours, also.
Well, if referring to herself is consistent with her point, then it makes sense. And in that case, nobody should declare that she was talking about Palin. Right?
Who do you think she meant when she said "I like that guy". Was that Palin too? Like a poster above says, why is only the second statement of interest here?
That's a very strange argument. The first comment could have referred to Obama, Biden or McCain, but Palin is the only woman in this particular race. That's why the second part is being analyzed.
If Michelle hadn't specified who she was talking about, it would be fair to say she was talking about Palin.
If Michelle Obama hadn't clarified who she was talking about, it would be fair to assume that she could have been talking about Palin. She could have also been talking about herself. I wouldn't have objected to anyone assuming she was talking about Palin if she hadn't clarified her remark. But she could have been talking about a candidate OR herself, since we know that people have made choices about candidates based upon the candidate's spouse - Jackie Kennedy and Bill and Hillary Clinton are 3 examples.
Top that off with the fact that Michelle has said this same comment more than once at more than one event, and that means that she is talking about herself.
"I would just encourage...folks who are undecided to look at the issues," Michelle Obama said today at an economic roundtable at McGlohon Theater in Charlotte, NC.
"This is just one of those elections where folks just need to be informed," she continued. "I can take off my wife hat and just put on my citizen hat and just say we have an obligation now to pay attention. Because we may decide to do something that is different from Barack Obama. But we should decide that based on our self-interest and what we think is best. And the only way that will happen is if people are paying attention and neighbors are talking to neighbors, and family members are talking to family members.
"People shouldn’t make a decision this time based on 'I like that guy' or you know, 'she's cute' you know, this isn't…"
The crowd laughed and applauded.
"And I'm talking about me," Michelle Obama continued. "But that shouldn't be anyone's reason for making a judgment this time around."
Seriously? Are we really having a discussion about whether Michelle Obama said that Palin was cute? Nevermind the grievous grammar error (whole? Jeez, buy a dictionary, would ya?) how is this any kind of substantive discussion? This is the only crap that anyone can dig up (or fabricate) with regards to Obama? How "cute" were the Keating 5? Now *that's* cute! How "cute" are McCain's lobbyist buddies that currently are actively involved in his campaign (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac ties, anyone)? That's also very cute.
Yes, Sarah Palin may be "cute", she's an attractive woman. Too bad she's dumber than a sack of hammers. She's from the Meth capitol of Alaska, she's up to her cute faux designer glasses in controversy and alleged wrongdoing. Her "first dude" husband and she have clammed up on the troopergate controversy although she first pledged full disclosure.
This Entertainment Tonight type of "reporting" does nothing to further the cause of pulling our country out of the enormous hole it's in. Media and news outlets need to start reporting the news, not their opinions. If we refuse to read and respond to this garbage, maybe it won't be so popular. We're talking about the future of our country, not the hijinks of some knucklehead like Lindsey Lohan, Nicole Richey or Tommy Lee and Pamela.
ICK!
When did Michelle Obama get on the DNC ticket? I don't know of ANYONE who has described Shelly-Bomb as "cute". Someone please give her a mirror.
It's clear Michelle Obama was referring to herself. She sure as heck wasn't referring to Cindy McSame. Am I the only one who is creeped out by Cindy constantly hovering behind McSame every time you see him? I mean come on she has that glassy eyed Stepford wife stare and smile like a damn vulture or something.
And can we please stop calling other posters by names they don't use or to our accurate knowlege ever used? It's getting real old.
Thanks once again for your "concern".
Foolishly attempting to get back to the actual topic, two things.
First, based on available information this appears to be the most reasonable interpretation of events:
Michelle Obama is saying that people should vote on issues, not on trivialities.
She uses the phrase "she's cute."
She starts to go on but is interrupted by applause.
She thinks (not in these words, I'm sure) "oh damn, they think that's about Palin which is going to make the GOPper WATB's go berserk again."
She clarifies she was referring to herself.
Second, even if you disagree with that, the fact remains that the issue at hand is Devid Gregory insisting Obama was talking about Palin without ever acknowledging she specifically said she was talking about herself. Depending on whether or not he knew enough of what he was talking about to know she said that, his take was either appallingly ignorant (if he didn't know) or deliberately deceitful (if he did).
That is the issue.
Larry you are 100% correct. That was why I said way back at the top that Gregory should have been more clear, then the attack dogs went after me.
Second, even if you disagree with that, the fact remains that the issue at hand is Devid Gregory insisting Obama was talking about Palin without ever acknowledging she specifically said she was talking about herself. Depending on whether or not he knew enough of what he was talking about to know she said that, his take was either appallingly ignorant (if he didn't know) or deliberately deceitful (if he did).
That is the issue.
not only did RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE miscontextualize the comments of Mrs. Obama, the same was preceeded on MORNING JOE with the seemingly very firm acceptance of all participating in that segment. let us take a look using a depth of perception requiring our keenist of insight. Mrs. Obama's statement including that excluded "pregnant pause", followed by her qualifier was meant to reach out and embrace the highest of our intellectual inclinations but also reveal the lowest our emotional declinations. she extended to her immediate audience and to all in sensable reach the utmost of respect by appealing to the highest levels of their thought processes, the level of decision making; which requires deep introspective self counsel. it is so truly dissapointing to see and hear the degradation of our levels of communication and interaction. not only are so many segments of the communications media debasefully disrespectful, we do ourselves an enormous disservice when our responses result in the stench of a debate decomposing.
The sad thing about this report on MSNBC was that it even made the news. How can Gregory still believe he is a News Person after having to present slop like this. The clear implication is that viewers are willing to make up their minds about who is going to lead this country for the next four/eight years based on such nonsense.
The funny thing is that David wants to be taken seriously as a Journalist, even after presenting such garbage as Political News. (Or perhaps he doesn't and is only angling for a Reality T.V. show.)
Sigh....